GOP lawmaker calls for change to how government measures unemployment

[Chris_]

GOP lawmaker calls for change to how government measures unemployment

Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-Calif.) intends to press GOP leaders to move his bill to include the number of individuals who gave up looking for work in the percentage of jobless claims.

His one-page legislation, the “REAL Unemployment Calculation Act” would require “the federal government [to] cite, as its official unemployment calculation, the figure that takes into account those who are no longer looking for work,” not only those individuals actively seeking jobs.

For example, the most recent unemployment rate released on Friday with 8.2 percent unemployment, would be officially considered 9.6 percent, the so-called U-5 rate that was also released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.) 

The U-5 stat measures, “total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other persons marginally attached to the labor force, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force,” while the U-3 stat or the “official unemployment rate,” measures, “total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force.”

The Hill

Remember when we laughed at France for cheering their 8.3% unemployment during the Bush administration?

[thundley4]

It's kind of funny when the "official" unemployment rate drops when every indicator says it should go up.

[Chris_]

"According to government statistics, if the same number of people were seeking work today as in 2007, the jobless rate would be 11 percent."
^{Dec. 12, 2011}


I think Mr. Hunter is being kind.

[CG6468]

Well, it's about friggin' time someone had the gonads to do this! 

[thundley4]

Well, it's about friggin' time someone had the gonads to do this! 

They are only doing it because Obama is black and they're racists. /DU mode

[CG6468]

They are only doing it because Obama is black and they're racists. /DU mode

I don't care who or why anyone does this. Both parties are guilty of the same lies. The so-called "unemployment numbers" are meaningless.

[Kyle Ricky]

I don't know why they weren't doing this from the beginning.

[DefiantSix]

All those jobs the SCOAMF in Chief claims to have "created"?  Not so much...

LINK